These programs designed for individuals with the purpose to nurture artists’ professional needs and expand opportunities for them to create, showcase and profit from their work.
• Artist Emergency Relief Fund supports individual artists or culture-bearers who are facing loss of income or unexpected expenses related to an emergency.
• Artist Learning Grant supports: Tuition and materials for an arts class, workshop, conference or college-level course (non-degree seeking); Purchasing equipment and/or supplies to make art work; Time with a consultant, mentor or skilled professional
• Artist Career Development supports projects, training opportunities, creative time, purchases and other activities that assist artists in making the next step in their creative development and artistic careers.
• Individual Artist Award provides awards to outstanding artists living in the Minnesota counties of Benton, Sherburne, Stearns or Wright (Region 7W).
• Student Arts Scholarship provides scholarships to students seeking their first undergraduate degree in an arts-related field.
Teaching Artist Grant supports the CMAB roster of Teaching Artists in conducting arts learning activities in community settings including but not limited to K-12 schools.

these programs designed for nonprofit organizations, schools and units of government to support arts-focused events and foster a thriving, collaborative and innovative arts community through partnerships and financial support.
• Arts Access provides funding to cultural community groups and nonprofit organizations in support of arts-focused activities that increase Minnesotan’s access to the arts and celebrate diverse cultural expression.
• Arts Organization Development provides funds to support activities and purchases that contribute to organizational sustainability, growth and improvement of nonprofit arts organizations in Region 7W.
• Artist in Residence provides funds to schools and nonprofit organizations in support of activities directed by, or conducted in cooperation with, an artist who engages students and enables learning through the creative process.
• Public Art Grant provides funds for the completion of well planned, permanent or temporary works of public art that are accessible to the general public without cost.
• Project Grant provides funds to nonprofit organizations, schools, local government, and community groups in support of arts-focused events.
• Community Arts Support provides biennial grants for administration, operations, equipment purchases and to improve access and outreach to underserved groups.

Draft Review Deadline: Applicants may request a draft review of an application. CMAB staff will review the application and identify any concerns. Draft reviews must be formally requested by EMAIL before the Draft Review Deadline. Contact the CMAB office if you do not receive confirmation of the request!

• Application Deadline: Applications must be submitted by 11:59 pm on the deadline date. No exceptions.
• Individual applicants must be reside in one of the four counties six months prior to the time of applying, be at least 18 years of age and either a U.S. Citizen or attained permanent resident alien status
• Organization applicants must be schools, governmental units, departments or agencies of the State, or nonprofit tax-exempt as described in the Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code. An organization or group not meeting these requirements may apply to the CMAB through a fiscal sponsor. Any of the eligible organizations indicated above may serve as a fiscal agent. More information about Fiscal Sponsor here
  • Fiscal Sponsors must sign the application and, if the grant is received, must sign the contract letter
  • Fiscal Sponsor is legally responsible for the completion of the project and for the proper management of the grant funds.
  • A contract between the applicant group and the fiscal sponsor is necessary before funding is received.
• Two or more eligible organizations may form a partnership to present arts activities, but should submit only one grant
• Applications with overdue final reports are not eligible to apply
• CMAB is not responsible for incomplete applications, applicants will not be contacted if they are missing information from the application.
• CMAB is not responsible for samples that do not display correctly

CMAB defines AI (artificial intelligence) as digital software or websites and interface systems that imitate human intelligence and assist an individual with translating texts, rewriting or rewording original thoughts, searching for source materials or references, data processes or information requests, and generate original materials including text and artwork.
CMAB recognizes the growing use of artificial intelligence as an assistance tool for the grant application process. AI should not be used to fully generate art, application answers, or proposals.  Applications with excessive AI-generated content may be deemed ineligible.
AI can create inaccuracies making it difficult to enter into a contractual agreement and creative works generated with assistance from AI are not federally copyright protected currently. CMAB is committed to human evaluation of application eligibility and review processes.
1. Applications
a) Applicants may use AI technology as a tool to translate language, understand, contextualize or enhance their original perspective or idea.
b) Applicants are responsible for accurate representation of the applicant’s intentions of proposals submitted, including items generated by AI.
c) Applications with excessive AI-generated content that lack an authentic voice may be deemed ineligible at the discretion of CMAB staff.
2. Review Panels
a) AI cannot be used to generate responses for application review; however, panelists may use AI technology as a language tool to translate or edit evaluation comments.
b) Panelists cannot use software to examine an application for AI use in either the responses or work samples. This is considered outside information or knowledge beyond the evaluator’s expertise.

Grant applicants that have been denied funding may appeal the board’s decision.
Appeals must be based on alleged procedural errors. There is no right of appeal based on the size of the grant awarded or disagreements with panel/director’s assessment of the application relative to the program review criteria. Applicant may make an appointment with CMAB Staff for assistance in determining a valid appeal.
The appeals process is as follows:
1. Appellants must submit a formal letter of appeal to the CMAB Executive Director within 15 days of receiving notification of denial.
2. The appeal cannot include new information meant to add value to the denied proposal.
3. The appeal must provide details on the procedural error(s) believed to have taken place, which resulted in the application being denied funding.
4. Appellants will receive notification that CMAB has received the request for appeal within three to five business days.
5. CMAB Staff will review the appeal and gather any documentation associated with the appellant’s application including the original denied proposal, reviewer scores and comments made during the review.
6. The CMAB Executive Director will forward the appeal and associated documentation to a designated committee composed of CMAB Directors for review.
7. The CMAB designated Committee will review the appeal within fifteen business days following their receipt of the request.
8. The CMAB Committee will take one of the following actions: a) Determine that the appellant does not show sufficient grounds for appeal; b) Direct staff to further investigate the appellant’s request and pertinent materials and present a recommendation to a subsequent board or committee meeting; c) Request that the appellant appear before the committee at a subsequent meeting and address their appeal at that time; d) Determine that procedural errors did occur and decide on a course of action to respond to the error, which could include a new review of the denied proposal. If a new review is determined, two new reviewers will be selected to read the original grant proposal. The highest and lowest scores from the original review will be dropped and replaced by the scores provided by the new reviewers and a new normalized score will be calculated. If the new score pushes the application above the score cutoff for funding in that grant cycle, the grant will be awarded. If not, the original decision will stand.
9. Within 5 business days of the meeting where the appeal was reviewed, appellant will receive notification of the committee’s recommendation regarding the appeal and what action, if any, will be taken. a) If the committee determines that the appellant did not show sufficient grounds for an appeal, the decision to deny the appeal is final. b) If the committee determines the appeal does show sufficient grounds, the appellant will be notified in writing as to when the new review will take place. Final scores will be presented at the next regular CMAB Director’s meeting following the new review. c) The appellant will receive final notification of the CMAB Director’s decision within five days following final action on the appeal.
10. CMAB Staff are available to support applicants and do not represent a particular position when a request is before the board, nor do they have a vote or determine the outcome.

Once a proposal is approved and the contract signed, the Grantee is authorized to use the grant funds only to carry out the proposal in accordance with the specification contained in the grant application. Any changes from the original proposal must be amended with the GRANT AMENDMENT FORM and approved by the Executive Director. Failure to communicate any changes from the original proposal may result in a breach of contract.
Amendment Examples

• Extension of proposal completion date
• Revision of proposal budget
• Location event change
• Changes to the grant activities Personnel Changes

The CMAB communicates the requirement for filing a final report to each grantee using multiple techniques. Grantees are informed that final reports are required using the following methods; include language in every contract stipulating the need to submit a final report within 60 days after the contract end date; sending email alerts to each applicant before and after the final report due date; communicating the requirement through information sessions conducted by the Program Officer every year. Grantee refers to an individual, organization, or individual(s) within an organization.
Submission Requirement: Grantee will submit a complete and accurate final report within sixty (60) days of the proposal end date specified in the grant contract.
ACTIONS
a) A final report that is received and approved by the Grants Compliance Officer meets this requirement. Grantees will be eligible to apply for another grant.
b) A final report that does not show the required match, or comes under review for identified deficiencies may result in the grant being adjusted or forfeited.
c) A final report not received within 120 days of the due date will be deemed significantly late unless grantee has requested and received a due date extension.
d) If a grantee requests a due date extension, grantee may be asked to file an interim report on grant activities to date.
e) If a grantee has not filed a final report by the due date then the grantee is not eligible to apply for CMAB grants until a complete and accurate final report is received.
f) If a final report is filed and approved by the board within a year of the due date, grantee may apply for another grant.
g) If a final report is more than one year overdue, a certified letter will be sent to the grantee requesting the grant funds be returned to the CMAB. Grantee will not be eligible for CMAB grants until funds are repaid and/or a final report documenting the completion of the proposal and proper expenditure of funds is submitted to and approved by the CMAB.